The 62nd annual Piedmont Craftsmen’s Fair gets underway this weekend with more than 100 artists participating.
The artisans come from across the U.S. to showcase their work in clay, wood, glass, fiber, and more. About 30 of them hail from the mountains. Some had to cancel last year in Helene’s aftermath.
Executive Director Jane Doub says she’s hopeful that this year’s fair will help get these skilled artisans, many from Asheville’s River Arts District, back on their feet.
"When you lose everything, it takes a long time to rebuild," says Doub. "So many of the artists that work in ceramics couldn’t even get materials, because we know that Highwater Clay that was in the Asheville area, got washed away, again, in the flooding. You’ve lost all this finished work, which you could have sold. And now you don’t have the money or the stock."
Doub says the fair will also be helping Winston-Salem/Forsyth County School System teachers this year — struggling after massive layoffs — with free admission.
Sister organizations Kaleideum, Fibershed, Delta Fine Arts and the Sawtooth School for Visual Art will be there. Artisan demonstrations will take place all day Saturday and Sunday.